Now entering my sophomore year in college, I’ve learned about the necessities of grocery shopping. Most people assume that college students want to stock up on junk food and easy meals like Instant Ramen, chips, and sugary drinks. As for me, I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle while finding affordable options to keep in my dorm. On top of that, I love grocery shopping; Finding new creations of “health” foods and keeping my refrigerator full of fresh and friendly items is more important to me than saving time and popping Mac & Cheese in the microwave for dinner every night.
After spending this summer interning at GT Universe, an experiential marketing agency helping Jewel-Osco cater to shoppers with targeted events at their stores, I got to learn even more about what sets this grocery chain apart from the rest. During my internship, I had the opportunity to attend several of their unique in-store events, learn about customer segmentation, and how Jewel-Osco is constantly evolving stores to differentiate from competitors. And don’t get me wrong, it may seem like I’m a little biased, but truthfully I have been a long-time fan of Jewel-Osco, starting from the time I could fit in one of those little toy car shopping carts.
As a millennial, I’m constantly keeping up with various health Instagrammers and reading articles about the newest cauliflower concept. Additionally, I love to cook. I find it important to shop at a grocery store that incorporates the foods I love at a friendly price. So, I constantly head over to Jewel-Osco, and here’s why:
1. You go in and know you’re going to get exactly what you want… and even more!
There have been mornings I’ve woken up to a grumbling stomach and an empty pantry… we’ve all been there. I run to Jewel-Osco in mind knowing exactly what I want to stock up on: Peanut Butter Puffins cereal, Fage 0% greek yogurt, fruit, and then anything else I stumble upon in the aisles. And I’ll be honest – there are other grocery stores closer to me than Jewel-Osco in my area, but no matter how hungry I am, I’ll drive the extra 5 minutes knowing that I’m going to find exactly what I want.
Upon arrival, I race straight to the aisles and am never disappointed. I don’t have to worry that they have run out of my favorite, even obscure, products because it’s Jewel-Osco… they are always restocking. Then, there’s always the period of time between finding what I actually need and checkout where I kind of mindlessly wander through aisles. One of these aisles is always the ice cream and frozen treat section.
Walking through the aisle, I head toward one of my favorite brands: Halo Top. At most stores, there’s a limited variety offered and I’m used to sticking with the popular flavors like Cookie Dough or Birthday Cake. But at Jewel-Osco the same aisle is supplied with at least fifteen different flavors, along with tons of other similar brands like Enlightened, Breyers, and more. Now instead of the disappointment of choosing between four in-stock flavors at other stores, I can find any flavor I’m craving and usually walk out with an extra two pints I’ve never seen before… and this is something that tends to happen every time I walk out of Jewel-Osco.
Jewel-Osco builds strong customer relationships. Like I said, I know that I can get what I want and have never been let down to an empty shelf. The assortment and endless new brands supplied keep customers coming back.
Pro-tip: Make sure to bring layers while shopping so you don’t get caught in the negative weather of the refrigerated aisles.
2. They Have a huge variety of “Health” Foods
These days, stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s constantly try to maintain their reputation of the healthy grocery store. I mean it’s true you can find things like red lentil pasta and quinoa puffs there… but you can also find them at Jewel-Osco.
What most customers don’t realize is that yes, Jewel-Osco has sections devoted to chips and the other junk food all college students love. But what they tend to overlook are the dozens of sections devoted to new and trendy health foods. After talking to one of the Jewel-Osco specialty foods buyers as part of my internship, he stated that cauliflower pizza crust is one of the most popular items in stores. On top of this, you can find items like freshly pre-spiralized zucchini noodles, affordable organic produce, and more at their stores.
Going back to what I said earlier about having an Instagram newsfeed filled with famous, healthy food bloggers, something caught my eye: A dessert-inspired hummus. Clicking on the brand Delighted by Hummus, which was promoted by one of these bloggers, I couldn’t help but want to get my hands on Brownie Batter and Snickerdoodle dessert dips. It was especially interesting because these items are made entirely out of chickpeas and use whole ingredients. So, as I was driving home from a friend’s house, I saw a Whole Foods, and thought “hm maybe I should go in and try to find this product.” Little did I know, none of the store workers had ever heard of this brand and now I just looked foolish asking for brownie flavored hummus.
A couple days later, I was doing my normal grocery shopping in Jewel-Osco and something caught my eye. It was the Delighted By Dessert hummus! Now I didn’t feel totally crazy. I grabbed a few flavors and actually loved this spin on a healthy dessert. This occurrence really changed my perspective on Jewel-Osco. They carry tons of new and trendy products not found at many other grocery chains as well as the same popular brands found at stores like Whole Foods.
Delighted By Dessert Hummus Brand Ambassador with free samples for customers to enjoy.
3. Jewel-Osco Hosts a Ton of Fun events Open to the Public
Even though there are tons of Jewel-Osco shoppers in my community, not everyone knows about the tons of events they host at a variety of store locations. Take their Score More Savings event, for example, that ran this summer…I got to attend this June event at their 5320 S. Pulaski store. When I walked in, the store was packed with many eager shoppers, soccer-themed decorations, and tons of free samples. On top of that, there were a variety of fun activities to participate in like a photobooth, a virtual reality soccer game, and raffle prizes left and right. Everybody seemed happy and running around from booth to booth made me feel like I was a kid at a birthday party and not just stopping at a grocery store… and who doesn’t love that?
Sips and Tips is another free event where shoppers can sample some of their favorite brands of coffee and treats, and learn from coffee gurus brought in from the Chicagoland area. This event is more laid back than something like Score More Savings, but is definitely something to look out for. Even better, at the last Sips and Tips, Dunkin Donuts cold-brew ice cream floats were handed out with delicious Baskin-Robbins coffee ice cream flavors, something no shopper could really resist.
Besides events open to the public, there are also fun classes people can sign up for. One unique event is called Eat, Sip & Paint. At this past event, a small group of shoppers can pay an affordable ticket fee to eat yummy hors d’oeuvres, sample a flight of Prophecy wine, and paint a beautiful picture of the Chicago skyline. These classes are led by Jessica Rodriguez from Museica Sip & Paint Art Studio. After the event, everyone walks out with a nice piece of art and tons of free goodies. Even though I’m not 21 yet, I’ll definitely be attending this event in a few years! Some of the other paid events include a Perfect Pairing Cooking Class led by popular chefs, brunches while being educated on various liquor-infused drinks, and more. So, if you’re looking for a unique activity to do in the Chicago area, Jewel-Osco (literally) has tons in store for you.
The final product of the July 11th Eat, Sip & Paint Event.
4. Jewel-Osco has a Strong Focus on the Diverse Communities They Serve
Another unique aspect of the Jewel-Osco chain is that no two stores are completely identical. Jewel-Osco is constantly researching each locations’ community to provide offerings tailored to their population. Did you know, Jewel-Osco has events throughout the year, in honor of different cultural celebrations? Ranging from Fiestas Patrias, which honors Mexico’s and 8 other Central and South American countries’ independence days in September, to Chinese New Year, to Taste of Poland and so many more, Jewel-Osco appeals to several communities around the Chicagoland area.
Besides focusing on different cultural events, Jewel-Osco focuses on different aspects of their customers as well. Take Jewel Jamboree for example, which celebrates the start of the semester on various college campuses with hot deals and tons of activities to do in store. Additionally, they host a Gluten-Free and Taste of Kosher event to appeal to those with restrictive dietary needs. Even on a day-to-day basis, they carry a wide variety of products tailored toward certain diets. As a frequent shopper at the Highland Park location and keeping a Kosher diet myself, I find their variety of products very fitting to my everyday needs- even more so than competitor grocery chains in my area. Again, this adds to Jewel-Osco’s strong customer loyalty aspect. Because Jewel-Osco does such a great job targeting consumers in each area, it’s a double win: They make customers feel at-home while shopping and integrate their store-fronts very successfully into
each community.
Photos from the 2018 Chinese New Year.
5. Jewel-Osco Gives Back
In the past, many of my shopping experiences were greeted by local charities fundraising outside. And no, these aren’t just people begging each and every customer walking in to the store for money, but rather people showing support for organizations and populations in our communities. Even back in high school when raising money for an event called Charity Drive, Jewel-Osco allowed my classmates and I to set up a table outside of their store and spread awareness about the annually chosen charity year after year after year. It’s definitely nice to see local faces when doing errands, as it’s a reminder that Jewel-Osco emphasizes the importance of being local to each and every one of its communities.
In store, they focus on partnering with local charities and organizations by hosting events. The Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, the Bronzeville Children’s Museum in Chicago, and local minority businesses are just a few of the the recipients of Jewel-Osco’s donations this year. Jewel-Osco also encourage employees to volunteer at places like the Northern Illinois Food Bank, as well as constantly donate tons and tons of items to local programs. What can I say, Jewel-Osco literally does it all. After speaking to the head of community relations at the Jewel-Osco headquarters, it’s evident that there is a lot in store for the future in terms of branching out to even more organizations.
Photo by: Jewel-Osco
Wrapping Up
As you can see, Jewel-Osco is a major staple in my life. Every trip to the store isn’t so much an errand as it is an experience for me. It only makes sense that this grocery chain is thriving, as they are built with such a cooperative and open-minded team. And now that you know about all the fun events offered, you can boost up your weekend grocery runs. Oh and don’t forget to treat yourself with a drink at one of Jewel-Osco’s two bar locations when you finish picking out your groceries, Kinzie on the Rocks and Division on the Rocks. And yes, these trendy bar locations will probably make you forget you’re in a grocery store!
Written by:
Caroline Zessar, GT Universe Intern
